Black History Month was a time to remember and celebrate black creativity during the month of February. It is a beautiful time of unity within the black community, and it is also a time for non-black people to support and appreciate black culture. At Lincoln High School, Black History Month is celebrated by the Black Student Union by hosting a spirit week that culminates with a live performance inside Trojan gym for the entire campus community. The live performance is a medley of spoken work, dance, singing, and fun videos.

“I love that black culture sets the tone for other cultures,” said BSU president, Zoe Blount. “There is no culture like us and we are the blueprint. We have created so many trends, styles, and inventions and it shows how important the impact of black culture is on our society.”

We are lucky to have a club like BSU that is willing to inform all Lincoln students about black history, black culture, and educate my fellow Trojans on how it feels to be black on campus.

Feeling accepted at school is very important, and it was something that I wasn’t very familiar with before coming to Lincoln High. Going to school each day means that you are investing six to eight hours of your personal time into your school. School is a daily place where you want to feel comfortable and accepted. Lincoln makes me feel comfortable because of the caring staff members and teachers, who are available to you if you need help with anything. Extracurricular activities also helped me become more comfortable on campus. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 restrictions this year, students are at home with online school, and aren’t getting the chance to experience all of the special events that our club produced for this special occasion. Last year, as a freshman, my involvement with BSU truly helped me get my feet grounded on such a large campus.

I had never been a part of an organization like BSU before. I felt immediately accepted by the club officers and its members. BSU helped me realize how important black unity truly is, and how that unity can be such a supportive unit to help you get through high school. Being able to surround myself with people who understand my struggles as a black student, made my freshman year so much easier. It’s not all fun and games though because being a member of BSU has also made me more aware of the microaggression and racism directed towards me. This has been an incredible learning tool for me and an opportunity for me to grow. Attending the BSU Black History Month performance live as a freshman, made me feel so proud. I can’t wait to get back on campus and begin planning for February 2022 when, hopefully, BSU can dazzle the student body once again with another outrageous live show.

There are many different and unique clubs on campus that all do a great job of welcoming new students and making them feel that they belong. As we make plans to return to school, it is my personal goal to communicate with my fellow BSU team members about how important reaching out and making others feel accepted is so important. In order to reach your full potential, you must feel connected to your school. BSU reached out to me and changed my entire outlook. Being a part of a caring community, can be very powerful indeed.